Exorcism finale barely saves ‘Deliver Us From Evil’

“Deliver Us From Evil” takes a very long time to deliver us from dullness. This demonic possession police procedural only gets wound up for its third-act exorcism.

That’s when Edgar Ramirez, as a chain-smoking, whisky-loving Jesuit priest, stops phoning it in. As Mendoza, too hip to go by “Father,” he’s offered his services to the puzzled cop, Sgt. Sarchie (Eric Bana), much earlier.

But the doubting Sarchie makes us play the “how long before the cop gets around to calling the helpful priest” game as Satanic civilians — Iraq War vets — start showing signs of supernatural evil.

Sarchie is a cop with “radar,” strong hunches that have him leading his partner (Joel McHale) into harm’s way.

Checking into a domestic violence call, another “scratching noises in the basement” call, and a third “crazy woman at the Bronx Zoo” (at night) call has Sarchie seeing bloody visions and hearing static.

The foreshadowing is obvious.

Overwhelming its other shortcomings is the agonizing lack of urgency. Sarchie should be frightened, obsessed. He has his own demons, we’re told. Bana doesn’t give us much of that.

And Ramirez seems detached.

But after 90 minutes in which the only creepy moments come from Sarchie’s wife (Olivia Munn) and kid (Lulu Wilson), everybody gets their game face on for the big Good / Evil confrontation with crucifixes.